Golf balls have been known since at least the 15th century AD when a leather sack was shrunk around wet goose feathers to form a small ball that could be hit around a grassy field. As golf ball technology has progressed manufacturers of golf balls sought to identify their product so the public could recognize their golf ball. While originally golf ball manufacturers embossed their golf balls with their logo and/or company name, at present it has become the custom and practice of the golf industry to print a companies name or logo on golf balls.
Printing a company name and/or logo on a golf ball can be a problematic endeavor. Not only is the cover of a golf ball spherical and dimpled, but it is also made of natural or synthetic materials that usually have a Shore D hardness greater than 50. These properties make printing on the surface of golf balls difficult. In particular, it has been found that pad print cliches as a part of the apparatus used in the application of patterns such as company names, logos and trademarks to golf balls wear down relatively quickly. Once wear has occurred the pattern applied to the golf ball can become defective, resulting in the production of poor quality golf balls that cannot be sold, thereby raising the cost of manufacturing balls.
Further, when a pad print cliche wears down to the point were poor quality golf balls are being produced that cliche has to be changed. The process by which the pad print cliches are changed requires the apparatus that prints a pattern on a golf ball to be turned off. This again wastes valuable time and money during the golf ball manufacturing process. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved cliche for use in adding patterns to golf balls.